Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday with children in the Vatican
Pope Francis turned 87 this Sunday (17), celebrated by children who helped him blow out a single candle on a white cake.
Children at a Vaticanrun children's hospital sang for the pope and gave him a bouquet of sunflowers.
Later, at a traditional Christmas event, in his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, he blessed small statues of the baby Jesus set up by children to display in their nativity scenes at home.
The pope also offered a prayer asking for peace, citing the wars between Israel and Hamas and Russia and Ukraine.
Regarding the situation in Palestine, Francis said he continues to receive “very serious and painful” news. “Unarmed civilians are being bombed and shot at. And this happened even within the Sagrada Familia parish complex, where there are no terrorists, but families, children and disabled patients, as well as nuns.”
The dozens of children in the square shouted “Buon Compleanno” — happy birthday in Italian — and held signs with the same greeting.
Francisco, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, is an Italian immigrant and was born on December 17, 1936 in Buenos Aires. The cardinals elected him Latin America's first pope on March 13, 2013.
In a post on Platform X (formerly Twitter), Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent greetings to the Pope and thanked him for his “deep commitment to peace.”
View photos from the celebration
1 of 6 children from the Vatican Children's Hospital help Pope Francis blow out his birthday candle Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli Children from the Vatican Children's Hospital help Pope Francis blow out his birthday candle Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli 2 of 6 children help Pope Francis blows out his birthday candle Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli Children help Pope Francis blow out his birthday candle Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli 3 of 6 Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday with children from a children's hospital Photo: Portal/ Remo Casilli Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday with children from a children's hospital Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli 4 of 6 Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday in the Vatican with a presentation of children from a children's hospital Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday. Birthday in the Vatican with a presentation of children from a children's hospital Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli 5 of 6 Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday in the Vatican with children from a children's hospital Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli Pope Francis celebrates his 87th birthday in the Vatican , with children from the children's clinic Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli 6 of 6 Pope Francis celebrates his birthday with children Photo: Portal/Remo Casilli Pope Francis celebrates his birthday with children Photo: Portal /Remo Casilli